Rug cushion



Aug. 28, 1934. J. E. GRAHAM ET AL RUG CUSHION Filed Sept. 19, 1931 Patented ug. 28, 1934 OFFICE RUG CUSHION James E. Graham, Newton, am, Mass., asslgnors East Walpole, Mass., chusetts andv Edwin M. Lines, to Bird & Son, Inc., a corporation of Massa- Application September 19, 1931, Serial No. 563,704 Claims. (Cl. 154-55) This invention relates to a rug cushion and has particularly to do with a novel comparatively thick resilient pad for use under rugs and carpets as a means of making the rug or carpet softer 5 and more resilient under foot, and to increase the life of the rug. Cushions have long been used under rugs and carpets to produce these effects but have usually been made of hair-felt and vjute, burlap, or the like and 'have been subject to many defects including porosity (with consequent absorption of dirt and dust) and notably stretching, which results in fullness and humping up. The fullness may be brought about either by improper or careless laying, or by trailic in use, thus l5 causing folds to appear. Also, when free to move,

such cushions enlarge suiliciently to appear beyond the edges of the rug.

In addition to the hair felt cushions above described, paper has been employed as a cushion,

but in the form of a relatively thin or light weight article, so thin, in fact, as to have a very slight effect in serving as an eilicient'cushion.

By the present invention, we have provided a cushion and method of making the same, which has many advantages over rug cushions and methods now in use. It is soft and resilient, relatively non-porous, does not slide readily on the floor, does not stretch', bulge or buckle and retains its resilience because of the combination of fibres partially cemented together as hereinafter described, so that the fibres do notslide on each other or mat down.

In the drawing: Fig. 1 is a perspective view illustrating the combining and corrugating of layers of felt into the rug cushion herein described;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the rug cushion; Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the packaged rug cushion with a,- portion of the wrapper torn away to exposel an end of the same;

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the complete package showing'the wrapper in place; and

Fig. 5 is a. dtail view showing the preferred wrapping at the rend, of` he roll.

The material litself consists of what may be called a rag,felta felt in which rag fibre predominates, and preferably includes fifty to seventy per cent of rag nbre, 5 to 10 per cent of paper fibre which serves to partially cement the other fibres; and twenty to thirty per cent of long jute or other similar vegetable fibres, a portion at least of these fibres being say an inchto an inch and half long-materially longer than the rag and paper fibres. The paper lbre constituent may be made cf ordinary newspapers, and -the rag nbre constituent from rags such as are commonly employed in the manufacture of roofing felt. These fibres are combined shortly prior to the entry of the stock at the felting end of a paper ma.- chine (preferably a Fourdrinier machine) and formed into a relatively thick uncalendered sheet, approximately an eighth inch in thickness. The sheet upon issuing from the last dryer of the paper machine has applied thereto, on one side only, a thin surface friction coating of latex. 'Ihis is preferably done by passing the sheet through a pair of rollers, the peripheral surface of the lower one of which extends down into a trough of the latex or rubber emulsion, to which may be added a suitable dye or color. The residual heat in the sheet causes the water of the emulsion to pass off leaving the thin layer of rubber, dry and adhering to the surface of the felted sheet, following which the felt is rolled up preparatory to the corrugating and combining operations presently to be described.

Referring to the drawing in which like numerals represent like parts, separate sheets 6 of felt made as above described, are brought or fed (with the uncoated sides of the sheets adjacent) to a corrugating machine of the general type shown in Fig. l, in which the felt is shown as being fed from rolls 2, 2 to a pair of corrugating rolls 4 suitably held and driven (by means not shown) so that the corrugations of the rolls 4, though mating, are spaced from one another a distance suilicient to permit the relatively thick sheets or strips of felt from the rolls 2 to be led between and corrugated by the rolls 4 without perceptibly weakening, breaking or nipping off the strips. The rolls also serve to soften and render the sheets more yielding. The corrugations preferably have rounded tops and bottoms and resemble, in a general way, fiattened epicycloidal gear teeth of coarse pitch. The layers of felt, upon passing through these rolls,` are given a set thereby and have imparted thereto transverse mating corregations as clearly shown in the drawing. In order to ilexibly attach the layers to each other, there is preferably deposited on the upper surface of the lower layer by means of the doctor 8 and feed pipe 10 a thin layer of emulsied asphalt adresive material which penetrates but slightly into the nap of the felt and cements the adjacent surfaces of strips 6 to each other. Latex is also suitable for this purpose. Adherence of the layers to each other and an interlocking of the nap of the respective strips is insured by the combining action of the corrugated rolls 4, which Afor example, by

tend to squeegee and rub the flexible adhesive material into the surface napof the dry upper layer and cementvit to the lower layer.

If it is desired to form a rug cushion thicker than the two layer cushion above described, which is approximately one quarter inch,` a three layer cushion may be made. In this case, the three layers are combined in the same general manner by passing simultaneously through the corrugating rolls (somewhat wider spaced) and applying by means of additional doctor and feed pipe apparatus, emulsified asphalt to the inner surfacesI of the two outer layers. Inasmuch as neither surface of the central layer is in contact with a rug or floor, the central layer is uncoated on both surfaces. The three layer product functions and may be packaged in the The combined and' corrugated layers 12, as=

they issue from the corrugating rolls, are ready for application and use, with or without `a finishing stitching 13, but in order to economically handle and ship the same, are required to be packaged in a readily transportable form.v The transverse corrugations serve a dual purpose,- first `they permit the packaginggby providing a series of fold lines on the inner or concave side of the roll-allowing such side to contract-and harmlesslyl deform into accentuated inwardly bulged corrugations and on the outside flattening. or lineally expanding the corrugationsv so as to avoid a breakage due to the tensile strain of wrapping the convolutions of the roll; and second they render the cushion more attractive and somewhat more resilient to the tread.. The bulging and stretching effects of course `diminish as the roll is built up, but are essential in order to provide the herein described substantially solid transportable package, as shown in Fig. 3.

A roll of any desired size, for example, fourteen to twenty inches in diameter, may be built up and wrapped in a burlap or paper covering 14 with discs 16 at the ends of the rolls around which the wrapper 14 Ais folded, the end of the roll being finished off by a cap 18 heldin place, an encircling pad of adhesive tape 20.' l w Having described our-invention whatwe wish y to claim and secure by Letters Patent is:

1. As a new article of manufacture, a reversible corrugated rug cushion having at least two layers of soft resilient rag-felt of substantial thickness, `said felt consisting essentially of rag, paper and long resilient vegetable fibres, in which said rag fibres predominate, said layers being adhesively ,regular corrugations extending thereacross and substantially throughout the extent thereof.

3. As a new article of manufacture, a reversible corrugated rug cushion having at least two layers of soft resilient rag-felt of substantial thickness, said felt consisting essentially of rag, paper and long resilient vegetable fibres, in which said rag fibres predominate, said layers being adhesively attached together by an asphaltic cement and in contact throughout their adjacent surfaces and having a series of mating transverse regular corrugations extending thereacross and substantially throughout the extent thereof.

4. As a new article of manufacture, a reversible corrugated rug cushion having at least two `layers of soft resilient rag-felt of substantial a friction compound.

5. As a new article of manufacture, a reversible corrugated rug cushion having at least two layers of soft resilient Ifrag-felt of substantial thickness, said felt consisting essentially of rag,

paper andv long resilient vegetable fibres, in which saidrag bres predominate, said layers being adhesively attached together and in contact lthroughout their adjacent surfaces and having a seriesof mating transverse regular corrugations extending thereacross and substantially throughout the extent thereof, said corrugated exterior surfaces of said cushion being impregnated with rubber.

" JAMES E. GRAHAM.

EDWIN M. LINES.

surfaces of said cushion being impregnated with 

